Last Updated on March 30, 2023 by Ithos Global Regulatory Team
Picture this: You’ve developed an amazing cosmetic or personal care product that you’re excited to share with the world. But before you can do so, you’re faced with the daunting task of ensuring it meets all necessary regulations and standards.
Ensuring regulatory compliance is a vital step in new product development; but it’s also one of the most complex and error-prone. Companies that delay addressing compliance requirements until later in the product development process often encounter more work, risks, and complications.
That’s where owning your documentation and compliance processes comes in.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of owning your documentation and compliance processes for your cosmetics or personal care company.
Improved Quality Control
Owning your documentation and compliance processes means you have greater control over the quality of your products. You can confidently ensure that your products meet the required standards and are safe for consumers.
Steps you can take:
- Exception Reports in Document Manager
- Review on-hand documentation to understand where you have gaps in information.
- Ithos Global’s Supplier Scorecard and RMCL
- Learn which Suppliers are cooperating with your company and establish protocols for selecting new and alternative suppliers.
- Post-market surveillance (“Cosmetovigilance”)
- Stay up-to-date with regulatory changes and get notified immediately if any of your products are impacted by changing regulations.
Greater Efficiency
Staying compliant can be a challenging task for companies that don’t have adequate resources or tools. In these scenarios, it may seem like prioritizing compliance requires sacrificing product development speed and efficiency, which can ultimately affect employee morale. But prioritizing compliance doesn’t have to mean slowing down.
With a centralized portal, teams can avoid missing changes made to marketing briefs and keep all relevant departments on the same page.
Steps you can take:
- Formula Versioning in Formul8
- Track the reasons for changing a formula and manage the formula testing to eliminate recurring issues. Estimate batch costs with Formul8 for better purchasing and forecasting. Keep a complete history of your formulas, so that you can always refer back to the original version and resolve issues quickly and easily.
- Document Manager
- Instead of relying on email, instant messaging, or other communication channels, employees with access to Document Manager can share information, collaborate on projects, and keep track of deadlines and deliverables. Consolidating your information into a compliant PLM system will save your team time spent searching, collecting, managing and updating documentation.
Mitigation of Risks
Taking responsibility for your documentation and compliance processes enables you to guarantee that your organization conforms to all relevant rules and guidelines. Involving regulatory support and solutions early-on during new product development (NPD) can minimize the potential for expensive penalties and legal consequences that may arise from non-compliance.
Steps you can take:
- PIFs, Safety Assessments, Claims substantiations
- Refer to Ithos Global’s leading regulatory professionals in the cosmetics industry to help maximize your company’s data organization. Compile dossiers for PIFs, author SDSs and ILs whenever you need them.
Increased Customer Trust
Bolster consumer confidence by demonstrating your commitment to producing safe and high-quality products.
Steps you can take:
- Ithos Supplier Scorecard – coming soon!
- One way to ensure quality is to use a Supplier Scorecard to measure and rate a facility’s or raw material suppliers’ compliance and sourcing methods. Earning a high score from a third party evaluator – such as Ithos – proves your commitment to compliance.
Manufacturer Scorecard: Four Factors to Consider
Competitive Advantage
Sharpen your competitive edge in the marketplace and promote your company’s commitment to compliance.
Steps you can take:
- Ithos Supplier Scorecard – coming soon!
- Earn certification from a third party evaluator and position yourself competitively in the cosmetic and personal care industry as a reliable partner for providing accurate, quality compliance documentation.
In conclusion, owning your documentation and compliance processes is a strategic move that can bring many benefits to your cosmetics or personal care company. With the help of solutions like Ithos, your company can streamline compliance processes and ensure that your products meet the required standards, giving you peace of mind and a stronger position in the industry.
